Jonathan S. Pembroke's journal of lunacy and bad feelings

tv

Yeah, life has been kicking my butt and I have been most neglectful of my writing, my blog, and lots else. Trying to get back in the swing of things, so here goes.

I read this article on Tor this morning, regarding the latest finale of Game of Thrones. I also saw this one, asking, “Has Game of Thrones become too brutal to enjoy?” The consensus has become that the nonstop cycle of death and rape has rendered the show unenjoyable.

I guess I am nonplussed at these lines of thinking. GoT is now exactly what it was in the first season: unabashed in its brutality and raw in its reality. The recent spate of horror, death, and drama, is what makes the show so compelling in the first place. It’s ugly at times, light-hearted at others. Death comes swiftly, making characters maximize their time with their time. Laughter. Pain. Blood. In other words, it’s life.

I continue to be entranced by the show, even as my favorite characters fall by the wayside or die off one by one. I was by the books, as well. (In fact, the show – if anything – tones down certain aspects of the book.) Regardless of the brutality, the simple drama of watching the characters in which you’re vested suffer and die brings me back again and again. Highlight for spoiler: when Jon Snow attempts to rescue the Wildlings at the end of Episode 8, just as the white walkers show up with their army of the dead, the tension kept me riveted to my seat. I honestly believe if the house had been on fire, I would not have left.

Anyway, various declarations by pundits and writers that some act or episode has finally pushed them over the edge and they will stop writing … well, that is certainly within their right to do so, or even write as much. But I put little credence in such antics. If you don’t want to watch, don’t watch. Enjoy the show for what it is. Or don’t.

Though I’ve not gushed about it here, anyone who knows me in real life knows that I love the Evil Dead franchise of movies, culminating in Army of Darkness, which remains my single favorite movie of all time. Yes, I know it’s corny. Yes, I know the dialogue and acting are terrible. Yes, I am aware the production values were bad. None of that means squat. I am not talking about what I consider to be the best movie of all time, just my personal favorite.

So you can imagine my considerable delight when I read this headline on Tor.com today: